Virtual reality is a computer technology that replicates an environment, which may be a simulation of a real life environment or an imaginary environment, and simulates a user's presence in the environment allowing the user to interact with the environment. Current forms of virtual reality are displayed on a computer display or with a special virtual reality headset worn over the user's eyes, which provides visual and sound simulations of the virtual reality experience. Some simulations also include additional sensory input, such as haptic/tactile feedback to the user to simulate various interactions with the virtual reality. The user may interact with the virtual reality using standard computer input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, and also through multimodal devices such as gloves or other wearables having sensors to detect motion and forces, and/or external motion sensors which detect a user's position and motions.
Augmented reality is similar to virtual reality in that it involves a computerized simulation, but differs in that augmented reality utilizes a real-world environment in which certain elements are augmented and/or supplemented by a computer-generated simulation of sensory input such as video, sound, graphics, and/or tactile feedback. The computer-generated simulation may be overlaid onto a computer reproduction of the real-world environment.
For purpose of the present description, the term “virtual reality” shall mean either, or both, virtual reality and augmented reality, as their differences do not affect the present invention.
In order to enhance the virtual reality experience, tactile feedback devices, also referred to as haptic devices, have been employed with virtual reality systems. Tactile feedback devices apply forces, vibrations or motions to a user in order to provide tactile sensory input in virtual reality to a user, such as to simulate the sense of touch or to provide other feedback of experiences within the virtual reality, such as crashing, being shot, loading or shooting a gun, or colliding with something.